Linda Blair and I have been friends a long time. I’ve seen how much of her own time and money she’s poured into animal rescue through her Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, year after year, when most would have tapped out.
Yes, she’s an Oscar nominee and a Golden Globe winning actress, but day to day she’s been an animal rescuer for decades, before it was the fashionable Hollywood cause célbrè.
Linda and I caught up last week, and she shared an update on how her foundation is doing. Things are tough — the animals need your help.
“This is the season we’re supposed to be feeling jolly,” she told me in a candid conversation, “but it can also be one of the most difficult times of the year, especially with all that is happening in the world.”
She said our nation is facing one of the biggest “crises in history for animals with escalating cruelty, abandonment, and pet overpopulation.”
Linda was telling me how they recently rescued several abandoned animals from the desert, including a shepherd mom with 10 newborn puppies, nine Chihuahuas, and a pit bull mom with puppies that were about 3 to 8 weeks old. That may sound like just another day in the world of an animal rescue, but the truth is that work comes with a set of burdens most don’t see, especially for a small, self-made, mostly self-funded organization like WorldHeart.
She didn’t sugarcoat it, she never does. “There were significant medical costs involved,” she said. They needed immediate veterinary care and had to secure housing quickly. I know firsthand, having seen Linda’s work up close, the money part of these rescues isn’t just about the vet bills. It’s everything that comes after the initial intake. Once the animals are in you’re paying for food and supplies, keeping everyone warm and clean, and whatever else comes up while they’re getting stable, which is usually a lot. Not to mention, some of them need follow up vet care, and it can take weeks or months before an animal is adopted. You do the math.
Linda isn’t a Hollywood icon swimming in residuals from The Exorcist. She’s paying out of pocket for most of these costs, and it adds up. Which is why I said at the top, most would have tapped out, but not Linda. She always has and always will put the animals’ needs first.
She said donations are what help to cover the day-to-day care, “healthy food, housing, medical care, cookies and treats,” while the animals heal and wait for homes. She was also describing how they recently saved five additional animals from the shelters on what was described as their last day before being euthanized. “They are the lucky ones, they’re now safe and sound, but we still desperately need help,” she said.
If you can imagine this, the foundation is caring for more than 100 dogs right now. And, she’s expanded beyond dogs. Cats are now part of her rescue work. She said the need is simply “too great to turn away.” That’s Linda in true form, instead of slowing down or stepping back, she steps up.
On a personal note, I’d like to add my own request. It’s not much, just that you try to imagine witnessing so much suffering and loss day in and day out, and how that must weigh on a person. You only have to look inside your heart to picture it.
It’s become a running gag how people cringe and change the channel when that now infamous and heartbreaking request for donations comes on the tube, you know the one — with Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel” playing in the background. Now just imagine that as your life, every day. Sadly, the facts back me up here. Veterinary and rescue work can take a real and devastating toll on the people doing the work. Studies have found they have a higher suicide risk than the general public. Federal researchers point to a mix of factors that pile up over time: long hours, burnout, debt, daily exposure to suffering, and the moral stress of having to euthanize animals. Add the pressure of being expected to save every animal, and it can become a job that is emotionally relentless. In a rather disturbing statistic, the CDC reports that female veterinarians are about 3.5 times, and male veterinarians about 2.1 times as likely to die by suicide as the general U.S. population in a study of death records. Sit with that for a minute.
No one’s asking you to feel sorry for Linda, least of all her. This is her chosen work, her life’s calling. I’m simply asking you to consider the work and the sacrifice she and other good souls make for the animals, the kind many of us can’t, or won’t make. Which is why if you’re able to support the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, (or any animal rescue) with any amount, your tax-deductible donation will be immensely appreciated. Let me emphasize that no amount is too little or too large.
Yes, it’s the season of giving, but it’s also the end of the year, which is the season to look for ways to reduce your tax liability. In this case you can do that by doing something meaningful, something that will literally help to save lives.
If you have your own fur babies, hold them close and be grateful they’re well fed and have shelter. Too many do not.
Finally, if you’re a rescuer, a veterinarian, vet tech, or a volunteer, thank you for all you do. You’re a godsend and we owe you an immense debt of gratitude. 🙏🏼🎄🐶🐱👏🏼💜
Thank you for writing this article!